<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Real Truth by Leviosally468</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23479585">The Real Truth</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leviosally468/pseuds/Leviosally468'>Leviosally468</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The X-Files</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, I Want To Believe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:49:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,779</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23479585</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leviosally468/pseuds/Leviosally468</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the episodes “Pilot” and “The Truth” . Just outlining some of Mulder and Scullys deeper thoughts about each other upon their first meeting compared to when they are together in the last scene of The Truth. PGish. Not much smut, just an incriminating thought here and there.<br/>I also wrote this fic in college during my X-files DVD binge-watch, and was really just having some fun collaging some of Mulder and Scully's collective musings about each other.<br/>“Pilot” and “The Truth” and the characters and ideas here belong to the very talented Chris Carter, Ten-thirteen productions and all the other great people and actors involved in the X-files and FOX broadcasting etc.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fox Mulder/Dana Scully</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Real Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Real Truth<br/>
(Last scene of “The Truth”. The agents are in a hotel room in Roswell.)<br/>
<br/>
The agents had been sitting in a long silence, presumably mulling over the happenings of the day, but also reveling in the presence of one another; in the comfort that had for so long been the one thing they could trust in and count on in the world. It had been almost a year that Mulder had been gone on his crusade for the truth; it had seemed like forever that they had been apart. Fox Mulder sat on the floor at the foot of the bed with his head back and his eyes closed in a contented sort of way. Dana Scully lay on the bed in a white robe, the light shining through the blinds at the window throwing ghostly shadows across her furrowed brow. It was she who broke the silence;<br/>
<br/>
“What are you thinking?.......Mulder?”<br/>
<br/>
(Mulder doesn’t answer right away and the scene fades into a memory flashback of their first meeting)<br/>
<br/>
Agent Fox Mulder sat with his nose just inches from a light table that held upon it a dozen or so slides of various unidentified aircraft. To the unknowing eye, his intent with the slides may have appeared unclear, perhaps even ludicrous, but the pictures must have made sense to Mulder because after a close examination of each one he would file them carefully into a series of cabinets each labeled with a different year. He sighed, sitting back from the table and removed his glasses to rub his tired eyes. Agent Mulder had more on his mind at the moment than UFO’s. Word had reached him in his dim, little basement office that he was to be joined with a partner; ‘to help him accurately document his work’ they had said. ‘Ha.’ Mulder thought to himself, he wasn’t that dull-witted. He knew perfectly well what the rest of the Bureau thought of him and his work on the X-files. For God’s sake, it wasn’t as though he were asking them all to believe in little green men. Not very many people knew or understood the main reason Fox Mulder had shut himself in the basement with his strange files and even stranger suspicions. Years ago, when Fox was just a boy, his sister Samantha had been taken from their house. All Mulder could recall about the event was a lot of blinding light, the window breaking, and his sister Samantha being lifted from the room by an un-known force. There were no men holding her, no machines, and no ropes binding her. It was as though she had simply floated away, immobilized on an invisible stretcher and he had been paralyzed, helpless to stop it. Mulder had almost every file, every document, every recording and every scrap of paper on his sister’s case, but he had run out of leads; well he had run out of conventional leads. He had labeled his sister’s case an X-file, and so begun his search for any evidence, alien or otherwise that would lead to her recovery. Of course Samantha’s case was not all he worked on. He prided himself on solving cases that others had deemed “Cold” or saw fit to bury in a file cabinet due to their peculiar and unsolvable nature. They just never knew where to look. Mulder did; he saw the cases in a way no one else could. Perhaps this had something to do with having a mind that was always open to the most absurd possibilities; ideas that no one else would even think of entertaining.<br/>
Mulder swiveled his chair around to his desk and leaned forward, scooping a small pile of sunflower seeds into his hand. He popped several of them into his mouth and lifted his feet up to rest them on the desk. Well, whoever this person was, he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be long before they were running to Blevins asking for re-assignment away from “Spooky” Mulder.<br/>
<br/>
(Scene fades back into the hotel scene from “The Truth”)<br/>
<br/>
Mulder slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the ceiling. He remembered the feeling that he’d had when she walked into his basement office for the first time those nine years prior. He had known somehow that she would play a larger part in his quest for the truth than anyone knew, even then. He couldn’t quite have explained it, but he had felt a connection with her then that he hadn’t known with anyone before. ‘Look where it’s gotten you.’ A little voice in his head scolded; ‘Look where it’s gotten her.’ He mentally shook himself and finally answered,<br/>
<br/>
“I'm thinking ... I'm a guilty man. I've failed in every respect. I deserve the harshest punishment for my crimes.” He twisted his head slowly to look at Scully. Her forehead was still drawn in thought, and the light shining through the window made her bright blue eyes sparkle. He still couldn’t believe he was actually here with her, finally. All the time he spent in that cell, he had thought about she and William a lot. Something stirred inside him the night he had held that little boy, his boy. Something had changed. He imagined it was what happened to most men after learning they were fathers. A protective instinct had triggered inside him. It had driven him even harder to get the answers he so desperately needed, for him and for Scully and the child. He knew what it must have cost her to bring him up alone, and then to have to give him up. He would never forgive himself for not being there, but he didn’t begrudge her. He was a guilty man…in more ways than one.<br/>
Scully herself was reviewing the memory of their first meeting, and how far they had come since then. She couldn’t believe it had been nine years. She wondered briefly if she would have done anything different if given the chance to do it again. No, she thought, that kind of thinking could destroy a person. She did not think Mulder a failure in any of the actions he had taken, whether they had proven futile or not. He had done what he’d done because he cared about her and William and because the truth he had so long sought after was seemingly at his fingertips. She was taken aback at his answer. How could he think to blame himself, or that she blamed him? She had always had his back, even when they didn’t always see eye to eye, she had supported him…from the moment they had first met all those years ago…<br/>
<br/>
(Fade back to Scully’s first meeting with Mulder in “Pilot”)<br/>
<br/>
Scully left Blevins’ office and headed towards the elevator, her head spinning. She certainly didn’t have anything against working with Fox Mulder, even if some of his ideas were pretty radical. He was a very talented agent especially in the field of psychology. Even so, she still had her suspicions about this pairing. She knew what most people at the Bureau thought of Mulder and his work, and she knew he was not especially popular. She also felt like she was being made out to be a spy, and to run to “Mommy” Blevins if she witnessed anything awry, which she didn’t particularly like. Scully had always prided herself on being cool-headed and reasonable; she would do what she deemed to be right. And who on earth was that strange, smoking, vulture of a man? She thought to herself. He certainly seemed important, though she had never seen him before, nor had she caught his name. There was definitely something about him she didn’t like, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She tugged at her blazer, straightening out any wrinkles as she jabbed the down button of the elevator. It was a little disconcerting having to go down into the basement to meet Mulder. Any thoughts she had about getting her own office were quickly extinguished. She stepped into the elevator, and the doors slid smoothly shut.<br/>
A knock on the office door jerked Mulder out of his slide-show stupor, but he quickly re-gained himself.<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry, no-body down here but the FBI’s most un-wanted” He called.<br/>
The door opened and Mulder turned from the table. Standing in the doorway was certainly not the person he was expecting to receive as a partner. He felt his insides do a sort-of double take, but managed not to show it on his face. The woman who stood before him was beautiful. She was relatively short in stature, with shoulder-length, fiery red hair and brilliant aquamarine eyes. She wore a light colored, check-patterned blazer and khaki slacks with chunky brown heels. He then recognized her as Dana Scully. He had seen her only a couple times back when they were both still at the Academy, but the hair was unmistakable.<br/>
<br/>
“Agent  Mulder, I’m Dana Scully. I’ve been assigned to work with you.” She said, shaking his hand. He allowed his eyes a quick up and down as he released her hand. It was a shame she wore such a long blazer over such splendid hips. He mentally reprimanded himself; he barely knew her and they were about to become partners, not to mention the fact that she had been sent down here to breathe down his neck, making sure he didn’t put any more toes out of line. Summoning a little more sarcasm than he felt, he replied,<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, isn’t it nice to be suddenly so highly regarded? So, who did you tick off to get stuck with this detail, Scully?”<br/>
From what little Scully knew of Fox Mulder, she had assumed that he was arrogant, sarcastic and defensive about his work. With the first two sentences he spoke, she knew her assumptions were correct, but now that she was standing before him another thought snaked its way into her conscious; Fox Mulder was very good looking. He was tall and lean with dark brown hair and eyes to match. She could just detect, without being too obvious, the lean hard muscle that made up his arms and torso. She quickly filed those thoughts away and answered;<br/>
<br/>
“Actually, I’m looking forward to working with you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, really? I was under the impression….that you were sent to spy on me.” Mulder replied with a wry grin. She attempted to look un-convinced but couldn’t stop the nagging feeling that he was right. However, she wasn’t going to affirm his suspicions. She was an honest and dignified agent, and determined to prove it.<br/>
<br/>
“If you have any doubt about my qualifications or credentials, th--” She began but Mulder cut her short.<br/>
<br/>
“You’re a medical doctor, you teach at The Academy.” He began, standing and reaching under a pile of papers. He retrieved what looked like a graduate thesis from the middle of the pile. Leaning in so she could just make out the title, Scully recognized it as her thesis. “You did your undergraduate degree in Physics. ‘Einstein’s Twin Paradox, A New Interpretation’. Dana Scully Senior Thesis. Now that’s a credential, re-writing Einstein.”<br/>
<br/>
“Did you bother to read it?” She asked indignantly.<br/>
<br/>
“I did. I liked it.” Mulder replied with another grin. He did have a nice smile, she thought in spite of her annoyance. He continued to talk as he walked behind his desk to retrieve a canister of slides and fit them onto a projector. “It’s just that in most of my work, the laws of physics rarely seem to apply.” He strode past her and flicked off the lights before continuing, “Maybe I can get your medical opinion on this though.” He flicked on the projector to the first slide which revealed the night-gown clad from of a woman lying presumably dead on the ground.<br/>
He hoped he hadn’t pushed the envelope too far; he berated himself for being so cynical. Even if Blevins had sent her here to debunk his work, she didn’t seem immediately keen to do that. Perhaps he was being too suspicious. He continued to fill her in on the elements of the case and she listened politely. He chanced a couple of glances at her, hoping to read her expressions. She at least seemed interested.<br/>
<br/>
“So do you have a theory?” She asked.<br/>
<br/>
“I have plenty of theories.” He said, walking over to her. “Maybe what you can explain to me is why it's bureau policy to label these cases as ‘unexplained phenomenon’ and ignore them.” He looked straight into her bright blue eyes, “Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?” He asked in a joking whisper, his chocolate-brown eyes locked with hers. She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. She had nice lips, he thought quickly before pushing that thought down.<br/>
<br/>
“Logically, I would have to say no." She replied coolly. He was impressed at how calmly she responded. At least she hadn’t laughed yet. “Given the distances needed to travel from the far reaches of space, the energy requirements would exceed a spacecraft's capabilities th...” Here came the science. He cut her off before she could finish,<br/>
<br/>
“Conventional wisdom. You know this Oregon female? She's the fourth person in her graduating class to die under mysterious circumstances. Now, when convention and science offer us no answers, might we not finally turn to the fantastic as a plausibility?” The look on Scully’s face suggested that she would be more open to the idea of an escaped venomous cobra killing the girl than anything Mulder had in mind. He could tell she was becoming irritated with his continuously informal line of thinking, because her voice which started off as inquisitive and almost angelic was becoming more heated.<br/>
<br/>
“The girl obviously died of something. If it was natural causes, it's plausible that there was something missed in the post-mortem. If she was murdered, it's plausible there was a sloppy investigation. What I find fantastic is any notion that there are answers beyond the realm of science. The answers are there. You just have to know where to look.” She said in an exasperated tone, as though she were explaining rather why the sky was blue or why Wednesday came after Tuesday. She must think this was his cracked up idea of a joke. He leaned closer to her<br/>
“That's why they put the "I" in "F.B.I." See you tomorrow morning, Scully, bright and early.” He gave her a sardonic smile and walked over to his computer. She would find out soon enough what she was in for, whether she decided to play Blevins’ little game of tattle-tale or not. “We leave for the very plausible state of Oregon at eight A.M.” He looked back at her one more time before turning to his computer screen. He hoped he hadn’t scared her off but he wasn’t much for frilly, fake introductions. There’s no sugar-coating Fox Mulder. She didn’t seem fake either; if anything she sounded just as firmly grounded in her beliefs as he was in his. This could be a long week, he thought.<br/>
In spite of herself, Scully smiled at his back before turning and walking out of the office. Well he certainly had some kooky superstitions, but nothing she couldn’t keep a handle on. All she had to do was prove that there was indeed a scientific explanation for the death of the girl and her friends. It would be nice to get back out into the field anyway. All the same, Scully thought as she got back into the elevator to head back upstairs, if they butted heads in Oregon as much as they did in the basement office, it promised to be a long week.<br/>
<br/>
(Scene fades back to “The Truth”)<br/>
<br/>
“You don’t believe that” She spoke softly, in barely more than a whisper. Mulder would never before admit failure and she knew he wouldn’t give in now, not whole-heartedly. She had never heard him sound so defeated, but began to think it had much to do with missing out on the time he might’ve spent with her and William, and less to do with how much he had failed in his mission to expose the conspiracy. She wasn’t going to let him go on like that; he could be so stubborn. He sighed, looking away again.<br/>
<br/>
“I believe that I sat in a motel room like this with you when we first met and I tried to convince you of the truth. And in that respect, I succeeded, but ... in every other way ...” He turned back to her, “…I’ve failed” She surveyed him quietly for a few moments, lost in thought…<br/>
<br/>
(Scene faces into a new memory)<br/>
<br/>
The airplane turbulence and the electrical disturbance as they drove to Bellefleur were one thing but this was quite another, Scully thought staring panic-stricken at her reflection in the mirror. There, on her right hip were two bumps that looked strangely familiar to the ones she and Mulder had found on the victims. Her stomach dropped as she stared at them, but then she took a deep breath.<br/>
‘Don’t be foolish Dana, use your head. They could be anything.’ She tried to calm herself but a knot of fear was still twisting her insides as she pulled her red terry robe back on. She had to see Mulder. He at least would know if they were the same marks or not. Feeling slightly self conscious, she slid her feet into her shoes and opened the motel room door, stepping into the rainy night. She padded quickly down the walkway to Mulder’s room and knocked. He opened the door with one hand, and in the other he held a candle, (the storm had knocked out all the electricity). Even in her frightened state, she couldn’t help notice how the candle light danced across his handsome features.<br/>
<br/>
“Hi.” He said, a look of concern entering his eyes.<br/>
&lt;,br/&gt;“I want you to look at something.” She said, trying to keep her voice steady.<br/>
<br/>
“Come on in.”<br/>
<br/>
She stepped into his room and began untying the sash of her robe. He took a step back, thoroughly confused as to what she wanted him to see, but not too keen to tell her to stop either. The robe slipped from her shoulders down her back and came to rest on her hips. She was clad only in her bra and underwear. Mulder felt the heat rise in his cheeks. For a moment all he could do was stand and stare at her half-naked form. Her skin was pale and smooth, and his fingers yearned suddenly to undo the clasp of that silken bra. He snapped out of it as she craned her head around to look at him, worry creasing her brow. She nodded toward her right hip.<br/>
<br/>
“What are they?”<br/>
<br/>
He knelt down, careful to keep the candle flame from burning her skin. Just above her panty line he could make out two small bumps directly across from each other. They looked very similar to the ones on the bodies of the victims except here he saw a third bump a little off to the side of the other two. He raised a hand and gently touched one of them with his finger. Her skin was soft and warm to the touch. It was hard to mirror her concern when she was standing so vulnerably before him. What did it matter that he just met her really? He longed to brush his lips against her soft skin.<br/>
<br/>
“Mulder what are they?” she asked again more urgently. A smile suddenly spread across his face.<br/>
<br/>
“Mosquito bites.” He smiled up at her.<br/>
<br/>
“Are you sure?” She asked, relief entering her voice.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah,” He replied, standing up. “I got eaten alive myself out there.” Scully let out a gasp of relief as she hitched her robe back up and threw her arms around Mulder, who almost dropped the candle. He wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. She was shaking. “You okay?” He asked.<br/>
<br/>
She held onto him and didn’t let go for a long time. It was nerve wracking enough, fearing that the bumps had been the same as the ones in their case and then stripping into her underwear in front of a man she barely knew. She surprised herself with how easily she had gone through with that part. She knew that Mulder was always concerned for her safety, but she also knew he was still a man and not thirty seconds ago she had been a half-naked woman. She wondered briefly if he was attracted to her. She was so relieved at the news that her bumps were only mosquito bites, she thought that if she did know him better she might well have kissed him.<br/>
<br/>
“Yes.” She replied. “I need to sit down.” She walked over to a chair that sat by the door and slumped into it.<br/>
<br/>
“Take your time” Mulder said, taking the chair across from her. She could feel his eyes on her, and she blushed slightly. For a few minutes neither of them spoke. She sat, still shivering in the chair. “Would you like to lie down? Can I get you anything?” Mulder asked. She could tell he was trying to sound offhand and not too forward.<br/>
<br/>
“Sure.” Scully replied quietly. She rose from the chair and lay on her side on the bed. Mulder pulled a blanket from the closet and draped it over her. She smiled at his consideration.<br/>
He couldn’t help noticing the front of her robe gaping open to reveal the lace edge of her bra. He looked away and sat down on the floor at the foot of the bed. He twisted his head back to look at her and she looked back at him. The candle light flickered in her blue eyes. She was indeed beautiful. If they stayed partners, he was going to have to practice really hard at ignoring his instincts. Whatever happened, he was glad to have her with him.<br/>
<br/>
(The memory fades again, back to the end of “The Truth” back to the hotel room where the two agents are in the exact same positions.)<br/>
<br/>
She stared sadly at his strong profile silhouetted in the dark. She couldn’t make out his face, but she didn’t need to, to know the look he was giving her.<br/>
<br/>
“You don’t believe that either.” She said more strongly. She would never punish him for leaving or for any of their fates. Indeed, the relief that he was even here, safe and in one piece was enough for him to be forgiven of just about anything as far as she was concerned. She dared not think again of what she would have done had his sentence been carried out, if she had to lose him not only again, but without hope of recovery; to have cashed in his nine lives at last. She couldn’t lose him again; it had destroyed her once. The pain this time had been almost too great. Had she not had William, it would have been much harder to force herself up each day. Mulder spoke again,<br/>
<br/>
“I've been chasing after monsters with a butterfly net. You heard the man - the date's set. I can't change that.” He said in a defeated tone but Scully knew her partner better than that.<br/>
<br/>
“You wouldn't tell me. Not because you were afraid or broken .... but because you didn't want to accept defeat.” He turned slowly so that his body was facing her fully. He seemed to be pondering how best to say what he wanted to next. She could just make out his brow, creased in thought, and his eyes glittering in the low light.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, I was afraid of what knowing would do to you.” He bowed his head a moment before going on, “I was afraid that it would crush your spirit.” He had always protected her, always. From the very beginning of their partnership he had always looked out for her, whether it was jumping in front of a bullet or withholding information he thought would devastate her. She remembered how he had kept the vial of her ova that he had obtained from a government lab secret from her, not wanting to give her false hope. She knew that he didn’t underestimate her strength, but that he cared for her and couldn’t bear to see her unhappy when he knew that just being a part of the X-files had already been such a burden. It made it easier to appreciate his pre-cautions, but she had meant it when she said she was gunning for the both of them during the trial and therefore had a right to the truth.<br/>
<br/>
“Why would I accept defeat? Why would I accept it, if you won't? Mulder, you say that you've failed but you only fail if you give up. And I know you -- you can't give up. It's what I saw in you when we first met. It's what made me follow you ... why I'd do it all over again.” ‘It’s what made me fall in love with you.’… Her heart finished what her mouth couldn’t quite say. She meant every word. Despite the hell she had gone through with this man, there wasn’t a moment of it she would’ve changed. It had made her into the person she was, it had made her stronger. It had brought her to Mulder. She had even tasted the joy of motherhood, however brief.<br/>
<br/>
“And look what it’s gotten you.” Mulder challenged. She was always so strong and stubborn, but he knew what it had cost her.<br/>
<br/>
“And what has it gotten you? Not your sister, nothing that you've set out for. But you won't give up, even now.” She retorted. She did not raise her voice, but her words hit him right between the eyes. She reached out and took his hand that had been resting on the bed tightly in hers. She knew him better than he knew himself sometimes. It hadn’t been what he had set out for, to be sure. But he had gained the knowledge of the truth. Knowledge was power, it separated him from others who would seek to bury it, he was stronger for it, he was no longer alone in his suspicions, and it had brought him to her; to Dana. She spoke again, more softly, “You've always said that you want to believe. But believe in what Mulder? If this is the truth that you've been looking for then what is there left to believe in?” Her liquid-blue eyes seemed to pierce his soul.<br/>
<br/>
“I want to believe that the dead are not lost to us. That they speak to us as part of something greater than us - greater than any alien force. And if you and I are powerless now, I want to believe that if we listen to what's speaking, it can give us the power to save ourselves.” They had lost so many dear to them on the long road they had traveled to find answers; The Gunmen, X, Scully’s sister, his father and mother, Albert Hostein, William…So many times he cursed himself, wondering if it had been worth it.<br/>
<br/>
“Then we believe the same thing.” She replied. Her voice was comforting, angelic, and peaceful. She watched him intently, the moonlight moved over his face, illuminating his eyes. They were warm again, the flame of life re-kindled back into them. She knew he was not defeated. He reached towards her with his left hand and took her small cross pendant in his fingers, and she smiled. She was truly beautiful, he thought as he reached out to caress her lip. He rose and crawled onto the bed, snuggling close to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and slid his leg over her thigh, pulling her close to him. Her nose brushed his cheek, he could feel her warm breath on his face. He looked down into her eyes, and said softly,<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe there’s hope.” She gazed up into his deep caramel-colored eyes, thinking. She spoke softly;<br/>
<br/>
“There is always hope, Mulder. If there is one reason humans were put on this earth, it is to seek a better and brighter future, and to never give up hope. That is something no alien will ever understand.” A smile spread across his face. He gently brushed an auburn strand behind her ear, and leaned the last two inches in, his lips meeting hers in a long, deep kiss.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>